History of San Jose Earthquakes in Timeline
The San Jose Earthquakes are a professional soccer team based in San Jose, California, competing in Major League Soccer (MLS) as part of the Western Conference. Founded in 1996 as the San Jose Clash, they were a charter member of MLS and participated in the league's inaugural game. The Earthquakes have secured two MLS Cup titles and two Supporters' Shields. They reached the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2002. A notable aspect of the team is its rivalry with the LA Galaxy, known as the California Clásico.
1974: Joined North American Soccer League
In 1974, the Earthquakes became a franchise of the North American Soccer League, competing until the league's end, hosting players like George Best and Pelé in San Jose.
1974: Reference to NASL incarnation
In 2014, the team rebrand featured the year 1974 in red, as an explicit reference of lineage to the previous NASL incarnation of the Earthquakes that had founded that year.
1994: Awarded one of Major League Soccer's inaugural teams
In 1994, Daniel Van Voorhis successfully led a San Jose bidding group that was awarded one of Major League Soccer's inaugural teams.
December 7, 1995: Hired Laurie Calloway as first coach
On December 7, 1995, the San Jose Earthquakes hired Laurie Calloway as the team's first coach.
January 23, 1996: Clash acquired US national team star Eric Wynalda
On January 23, 1996, the Clash acquired US national team star Eric Wynalda.
April 6, 1996: Hosted inaugural MLS game
On April 6, 1996, San Jose hosted the inaugural MLS game at Spartan Stadium, where they defeated D.C. United 1–0 with the first goal in MLS history by Eric Wynalda.
1996: Made postseason in inaugural MLS season
In 1996, The San Jose Clash made the postseason in the inaugural MLS season, and Doyle earned recognition as the best MLS defender.
1996: Franchise began play as San Jose Clash
In 1996, the San Jose franchise, known as the San Jose Clash, began play as one of the charter members of Major League Soccer (MLS). The Earthquakes took part in the first game in MLS history, defeating D.C. United 1–0.
1996: Inspiration for the third jersey rewind kit
In 2025, the Earthquakes third jersey was inspired by the San Jose Clash kit from 1996.
1996: Franchise retained all records, logos, colors and titles of the 1996-2005 franchise
On July 18, 2007, the duo by MLS awarded an expansion team under the Earthquakes name. While functionally being the 14th franchise to join MLS, the team retained all records, logos, colors and titles of the 1996–2005 franchise and is a continuation of that franchise.
1996: California Clásico rivalry existed
The California Clásico is a rivalry between two Major League Soccer teams, the LA Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes, which existed from 1996.
1997: Team floundered, Brian Quinn replaced Calloway
In 1997, the team floundered and Brian Quinn replaced Calloway as coach. The Clash finished the season at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 12–20 record.
1998: Finished out of playoff contention
In 1998, the San Jose Clash finished 13–19 and well out of playoff contention.
October 27, 1999: Franchise name changed to Earthquakes
On October 27, 1999, the franchise's official name changed from the Clash to the Earthquakes.
1999: Lothar Osiander replaced Quinn
In 1999, Lothar Osiander was hired to replace Quinn as coach.
2000: Missed Postseason
In 2000, the San Jose Earthquakes missed the Postseason.
2000: Rebrand to Earthquakes
In 2000, the team rebranded to the Earthquakes, featuring a new badge with a soccer ball, the city's rising sun logo, and a blue, black, white, and silver color palette.
2001: MLS Cup Victory
In 2001, the Earthquakes and the Galaxy reached MLS Cup, with San Jose posting a 2–1 overtime victory on goals by Landon Donovan and Dwayne DeRosario.
December 2002: Anschutz Entertainment Group takes sole ownership
In December 2002, the Anschutz Entertainment Group (owner of the Los Angeles Galaxy) took sole ownership of the San Jose Earthquakes.
2002: Played in CONCACAF Champions Cup
In 2002, the San Jose Earthquakes played in their first CONCACAF Champions Cup, making it to the quarterfinals.
2003: Won MLS Cup title
In 2003, the San Jose Earthquakes won one of their two MLS Cup titles.
January 2004: Johnny Moore resigned
In January 2004, general manager Johnny Moore resigned after AEG and MLS considered rebranding the team as San Jose America. Alexi Lalas was named as Moore's replacement.
2005: AEG granted permission to move team
Following the conclusion of the 2005 season, Earthquakes owner Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) were granted permission to potentially move the team if a local buyer could not be found within a 30-day window.
2005: Won MLS Supporters' Shield
In 2005, the San Jose Earthquakes led by Dominic Kinnear, won the MLS Supporters' Shield.
2005: Announced plans to relocate to Houston
In 2005, the owner of the Earthquakes, Anschutz Entertainment Group, announced plans of the team relocating to Houston due to failing efforts to secure a soccer-specific stadium in San Jose.
2005: Franchise retained all records, logos, colors and titles of the 1996-2005 franchise
On July 18, 2007, the duo by MLS awarded an expansion team under the Earthquakes name. While functionally being the 14th franchise to join MLS, the team retained all records, logos, colors and titles of the 1996–2005 franchise and is a continuation of that franchise.
2005: California Clásico rivalry existed
The California Clásico is a rivalry between two Major League Soccer teams, the LA Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes, which existed until 2005.
May 24, 2006: Agreement reached to bring expansion franchise to San Francisco Bay Area
On May 24, 2006, Major League Soccer and the principal owners of the Oakland Athletics baseball team reached an agreement to develop a soccer-specific stadium and bring an expansion franchise to the San Francisco Bay Area.
2006: Houston Dynamo began play
In 2006, the Houston Dynamo, formerly the Earthquakes, began play in Houston as an expansion team.
2006: Team moved to Houston for the 2006 season
On December 15, AEG announced the team would move to Houston for the 2006 season and were initially named Houston 1836 and later the Houston Dynamo. The Earthquakes name, colors, logo, wordmark, history and competitive records would not be transferred.
January 13, 2007: Negotiations for new soccer stadium reported
On January 13, 2007, the San Jose Mercury News reported negotiations between the city of San Jose, San Jose State University, and the Earthquakes owners to build a soccer stadium east of Spartan Stadium.
June 12, 2007: City Council votes to explore construction of new stadium
On June 12, 2007, the San Jose City Council voted unanimously to explore construction of a new stadium near San Jose International Airport.
July 18, 2007: Expansion team under Earthquakes name awarded
On July 18, 2007, an expansion team under the Earthquakes name was formally awarded to Lewis Wolff and John Fisher by MLS. The team retained all records, logos, colors and titles of the 1996–2005 franchise and is a continuation of that franchise.
October 2007: Announced move of offices
In October 2007, the Earthquakes announced they would be moving their offices to an office park across the street from Buck Shaw Stadium.
November 6, 2007: Frank Yallop returned as head coach
On November 6, 2007, former Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop was announced to be returning to the team as head coach.
June 2008: First payment made on new stadium land
In June 2008, the first payment of $3 million was made on the new stadium land near San Jose International Airport.
2008: Darren Huckerby and Ronnie O'Brien anchored the offense
In 2008, Darren Huckerby, the MLS Newcomer of the Year, and Ronnie O'Brien helped anchor the offense for the Earthquakes. In October, the team signed a partnership agreement with Tottenham Hotspur.
2008: California Clásico rivalry resumed
In 2008, the California Clásico, a rivalry between two Major League Soccer teams, the LA Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes, was resumed.
2008: Earthquakes returned after hiatus
In 2008, the Earthquakes returned after a two-year hiatus, resuming play.
2008: Earthquakes compensated Los Angeles Galaxy
On November 6, 2007, According to ESPN.com, the Earthquakes compensated Frank Yallop's previous employer, the Los Angeles Galaxy, with a third-round pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft.
2008: Team planned to play in Spartan Stadium
The plan on January 13, 2007 was for the new version of the San Jose Earthquakes to play in Spartan Stadium during the 2008 MLS season.
January 27, 2009: Amway Global signed deal to become team's jersey sponsor
On January 27, 2009, Amway Global signed a three-year deal with the Earthquakes to become the team's official jersey sponsor.
June 9, 2009: Acquired Chris Wondolowski from Houston
The San Jose Earthquakes acquired Chris Wondolowski from Houston on June 9, 2009.
September 19, 2009: Preliminary stadium designs released
On September 19, 2009, the preliminary designs for Earthquakes Stadium were released to the public, showcasing a three-sided European style stadium with 18,000 permanent seats.
2009: Missed playoffs, failed to qualify for U.S. Open Cup
In 2009, the San Jose Earthquakes missed out on the playoffs and failed to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup, finishing in 14th place.
2009: Stadium plans collapsed
On January 13, 2007, the new facility was planned to have 22,000 permanent seats but be expandable to a capacity of 30,000 for single games and be privately built by Lewis Wolff and John Fisher, the primary owners of the Earthquakes, with San Jose State providing the needed land. Plans for the stadium collapsed on April 19, 2009 after the Earthquakes and SJSU could not come to an agreement on revenue sharing.
March 16, 2010: City council votes to rezone property for stadium
On March 16, 2010, the San Jose city council voted 9–0 to rezone the Airport West property to allow for development of the new Earthquakes Stadium.
April 26, 2010: Q featured on KNTV
On April 26, 2010, Q, the Earthquakes' mascot, was featured on KNTV along with the mascots of the San Jose Sharks and San Jose Giants.
2010: Qualified for the playoffs
In 2010, the San Jose Earthquakes qualified for the playoffs as the West's No. 6 seed with 46 points and lost against Colorado Rapids in the single-elimination semi-final match.
2010: Michael Crowley stepped down as president
Michael Crowley served as president of the Earthquakes franchise until 2010.
2011: Missed the playoffs
In 2011, the San Jose Earthquakes missed the playoffs, finishing seventh in the west and fourteenth in all of MLS.
2011: Spanish broadcasts on 1370 KZSF
Since 2011, all Earthquakes games are broadcast in Spanish on 1370 KZSF.
April 21, 2012: Scored two goals in stoppage time to win against Real Salt Lake
On April 21, 2012, the San Jose Earthquakes scored 2 goals in stoppage time to win against Real Salt Lake 3–1.
May 23, 2012: Scored three goals to win against the L.A. Galaxy
On May 23, 2012, against the L.A. Galaxy, the San Jose Earthquakes scored 3 times in 18 minutes to win 3–2. After this game striker Steven Lenhart declared "Goonies never say die!" (a reference to the movie The Goonies).
2012: Won Supporters' Shield
In 2012, the San Jose Earthquakes won one of their two Supporters' Shields.
2012: Goonies kits of the historic season
In 2017, the new home kit was released as a callback to the black Goonies kits of the historic 2012 season.
June 29, 2013: Quakes win California Clásico
On June 29, 2013, the Quakes won the California Clásico against the L.A. Galaxy, staging a comeback despite being down 2–0 and having Victor Bernardez ejected. The Quakes scored twice in stoppage time to win 3–2, becoming the first MLS team to achieve this.
August 7, 2013: Earthquakes debut in CONCACAF Champions League
On August 7, 2013, the Earthquakes made their debut in the 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League, marking their first appearance since returning to MLS. They played their first game away against the Montreal Impact and lost 1–0.
October 23, 2013: Earthquakes win group five in CONCACAF Champions League
On October 23, 2013, the Earthquakes won group five in the CONCACAF Champions League based on goal differential after a home win against Heredia. This victory advanced them to the knockout stage of the tournament.
2013: Stadium did not allow for revenues to be profitable
At the beginning of 2013, the Quakes had 5,000 season ticket holders, and although revenues had been increasing, the Quakes stadium did not allow them to generate sufficient revenues to be profitable.
January 30, 2014: Rebrand to a new crest and uniform
On January 30, 2014, the team rebranded again with a new crest and uniform featuring blue and black, a chevron design, and the year 1974 to reference the team's NASL history.
2014: Last year playing at Buck Shaw Stadium
The Earthquakes played their home games at Buck Shaw Stadium on the Santa Clara University campus from 2008 to 2014.
February 28, 2015: First event hosted at new stadium
On February 28, 2015, the new Earthquakes Stadium hosted its first event, a friendly pre-season match against LA Galaxy.
2015: Began playing home games at PayPal Park
Since 2015, the Earthquakes have played their home games at PayPal Park.
2015: Reached cap of season tickets sold
With the completion of their new soccer-specific Avaya Stadium, in early 2015 the Earthquakes reached their cap of 12,000 season tickets sold.
August 29, 2016: Earthquakes part ways with John Doyle
On August 29, 2016, the Earthquakes announced the departure of their long-time general manager, John Doyle. Earthquakes President Dave Kaval stated that a "fresh approach" was needed. Technical director Chris Leitch was appointed as interim GM.
January 5, 2017: Jesse Fioranelli hired as general manager
On January 5, 2017, Jesse Fioranelli was hired as the new general manager of the San Jose Earthquakes, following the firing of John Doyle. Fioranelli joined from A.S. Roma, and had previously worked at S.S. Lazio.
February 17, 2017: Release of new home kit
On February 17, 2017, San Jose released its new home kit at a jersey release party at San Pedro Square. The kit is a callback to the 2012 black Goonies kits.
June 22, 2017: Vako Signed as Designated Player
On June 22, 2017, San Jose announced the signing of Georgian attacking midfielder Vako from SBV Vitesse as Fioranelli's first Designated Player.
June 25, 2017: Dominic Kinnear Fired and Replaced by Chris Leitch
On June 25, 2017, Dominic Kinnear was fired as coach and was immediately replaced by Chris Leitch, the club's technical director and former interim general manager. Assistant coach John Spencer was also let go, and was replaced by Alex Covelo.
June 28, 2017: Earthquakes defeat Seattle Sounders FC
On June 28, 2017, Chris Leitch's first outing as head coach was successful, as the Earthquakes achieved their first-ever victory over an MLS side in the U.S. Open Cup with a 2–1 victory against Seattle Sounders FC, advancing them to the USOC quarter finals for the first time since 2012.
July 7, 2017: Earthquakes Announce Collaboration with German Football Association
On July 7, 2017, the Earthquakes announced a multi-year collaboration with the German Football Association, focused on knowledge exchange, game development, and machine learning.
July 10, 2017: Earthquakes Advance to U.S. Open Cup Semifinals
On July 10, 2017, the Earthquakes defeated the Galaxy 3–2 at home, advancing to the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup for the first time since 2004. New signing Vako was introduced at the club during halftime.
November 24, 2017: Mikael Stahre Announced as New Head Coach
On November 24, 2017, Mikael Stahre was announced as the team's new head coach, replacing Chris Leitch, who returned to his previous role as the club's technical director.
December 1, 2017: Joel Qwiberg Signed
On December 1, 2017, the Earthquakes signed Joel Qwiberg from IF Brommapojkarna.
February 11, 2018: Release of Navy SEAL Foundation Jersey
On February 11, 2018, the Earthquakes released their new away kit, the Navy SEAL Foundation Jersey, donating 5% of each jersey sale to the Foundation.
October 8, 2018: Matías Almeyda hired as new head coach
On October 8, 2018, Matias Almeyda, the reigning CONCACAF coach of the year, was hired to be the Earthquakes new head coach for the 2019 season.
2020: Away jersey incorporates San Jose flag colors
In 2020, the Earthquakes' away jersey incorporated the colors of the flag of San Jose (blue, white, yellow).
June 29, 2021: Fioranelli Fired; Leitch Named GM
On June 29, 2021, the Earthquakes announced the firing of Fioranelli, effective immediately. Chris Leitch, former technical director, was named as the new General Manager on November 8 of the same year.
April 18, 2022: Earthquakes and Almeyda Part Ways
On April 18, 2022, the Earthquakes and Matias Almeyda mutually agreed to part ways. Alex Covelo, head coach of San Jose Earthquakes II, stepped in as interim replacement.
August 17, 2022: Luchi Gonzalez Announced as Next Coach
On August 17, 2022, the Earthquakes announced Luchi Gonzalez as the next coach of the team. At the time of announcement, Gonzalez was an assistant coach with the USMNT.
2023: Games broadcast on MLS Season Pass
From 2023, every Earthquakes game will be carried on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, with select national games on Fox or Fox Sports 1.
2023: English broadcasts on 810 KGO
Since 2023, all Earthquakes games are broadcast in English on 810 KGO.
November 7, 2024: Bruce Arena announced as new head coach and sporting director
On November 7, 2024, the Earthquakes announced Bruce Arena as their new head coach and sporting director following the disastrous 2024 season.
2024: Away jersey honors the club's 50th anniversary
In 2024, the Earthquakes' away jersey honored the club's 50th anniversary with red and white colors, featuring a retro NASL-era crest.
June 18, 2025: Owner John Fisher put the team up for sale
On June 18, 2025, it was announced that owner John Fisher had put the team up for sale.
November 14, 2025: Departure of General Manager Chris Leitch
On November 14, 2025, the Earthquakes announced the "mutually agreed" departure of General Manager Chris Leitch, without naming a replacement or interim GM.
2025: Release of the "Headliner" home jersey
In 2025, the Earthquakes' home jersey named "Headliner" was released, a blue-and-black jersey designed with Lars Frederiksen to celebrate Bay Area punk rock history.
2025: Release of the third jersey rewind kit
In 2025, the Earthquakes' third jersey rewind kit, as part of the 2025 adidas Archive Collection, was released as a throwback to the 1996 San Jose Clash kit.
2025: Team places 10th
In the 2025 season, the Earthquakes placed 10th, narrowly missing the 9th-place wild-card playoff spot.
2026: Signing of Timo Werner
Ahead of the 2026 season, the Earthquakes released Josef Martínez and loaned Cristian Arango. They also signed Timo Werner from RB Leipzig. The Earthquakes had the best start to the 2026 Season winning 9 of their first 10 games in the post-shootout era.
2026: Away jersey celebrates Grateful Dead's influence
In 2026, the Earthquakes' away jersey celebrates Grateful Dead's influence on the Bay Area's psychedelic music scene, featuring a tie-dye design and the band's iconic skull logo.
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